Loom



E. J. WILSON.

LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1921.

1,428,572. PatenbedSept. 12,1922.A

z SHEETS-SHEET i'.

Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

UNITED STAT-ES EZEKIEL J'. WILSON, 0F EAST GREECNBUSH, NEW YORK, ASSGNR T0 F. `C. HUYCK & SONS, 0F RENSSELAEB, NEW YORK, A`CORPOBATION OF NEW YORK.

lApplication led -May 23,

To all whom-t may condemn' Be it known that I, 'EZEKIEL J. WILSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Greenbush, in the county of `Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Looms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. f

The invention relates to looms, and more particularly to themechanism for controlling the operation of the picking mechanisms which throw the shuttle or shuttles back and forth across the lay.

The invention `is particularly applicable to extremely broad looms in which the lay may be from thirty to forty feet and more in length, although the invention is not conlined in its application to such looms. rvThe usual type of positively operated and timed picker stick actuating mechanismy which is commonly employed in looms of moderate width have been found to be unsuitedto the breadth of loom which is desirable in weaving certain kinds of fabrics such, -for instance, as endless felts for paper-making machines. For properly throwing the shuttles across the extremely long lays of this class of looms the picker sticks shouldbe actuated by sprin s which are put under tension or cocked and then 'released` or fired to throw the shuttles, and the present invention is designed to control. and

properly time picking mechanisms of this character. In` the construction in which the invention has been embodied the spring cooking and firing mechanisms kfor each picker stick are operated for each beat of the lay. Each picker stick should, however, be operated to` throw a shuttle onlyl when there is an empty shuttle box at` the opposite end ofthe lay to receive anyshuttle which may be thrown. The picking mechanisms are controlled to secure this result by electro-magneticv devices, the circuits yfor which are so controlled that each picking mechanism is rendered inactive to .throw ya shuttle wheneverthere.l is a shuttlein the shuttle box at the other endof the lay. If there is a shuttle in the shuttle box atone end of the lay the actuating mechanism for the picker stick at that end ofthe layy will be vactive to throw a shuttle providedthere 1921. f seria'i No. 471,640.

operation of bothpicker sticks for any desired numberof picks in order to keep the harness and shutttle in proper time in case it should become. necessary to interrupt the regular vsequenceof operations, as upon the occurrence ofa broken shuttle thread. f The preferredform yofthe invention is shown in the drawings inwhich AFigs. l1 and 2 show in elevation and somewhat diagrammaticallythe pickingmechan'isms at opposite ends ofthe lay; Fig. 3 is a detail of the circuit controlling devices which are oper- Yatledkby a] shuttle in the shuttle box at the end of the lay; Fig. L.this a diagram indicating the circuits for the electromagnetic controlling devices; and Fig. v'is aj detailed view of a part of the'k picke'rjpm'echanism.

Asshown inithedrawings thelay 2 is carried upon the upper''e'nds of` the' legs 4, ywhich are secured at their'lower ends to the rockshaft-G. VyThe yloom lshownr is provided at each end of'y the lay with two shuttle boxes 18 which are vertically 'movable 'to "bring eitherboxinto active position at the end of the lay byjany 'suitable mechanism (not shown); A piker'stick 10` is mounted on vthe endleg 4 at'eacli end of the lay and theupper end' of the stick is connected by strap 12 witha sliding block 14C arranged to enter the shuttle boxwhich is inactive position at thev end fofthe jlay and to en-1 gagethe end of the shuttle.'y A roll 16 is fixed Ito the guideway vforthe block la and acts upon the strap `to limit the forward movement of theblock the picker stick. pickij-tick is pivoted 'upon a bracket 18W securedto the" leg 4 and is `connected by link E20 v.and chains' 22 with heavy springs `24C` which tend to move the picker in adi-rk "rection/t'o throwy the'shuttle across ythe lay.

The mechanism for fretracting the picker "sticky `and thusI cooking or tensioning the springs' 2li;` comprisesfaleverfQ mounted on n MA the pivot for the picker stick and provided with a lug28 arranged to engage a lug 3Q on the stick. When the picker stick isl reftracted or cocked it is. retained in retracted position by a latch 32 pivoted to the leg 4 and arranged to engage a lug 34 on the stick. The means for disengaging the latch to release or fire the picker comprises an arm 36 on the lever 26 which carries an adjustable tappet 3.8 adapted to engage the lower end of a bolt 40 which slides vertically in the latch 32. Vhen the bolt 40 is in its lower position it is in posit-ion to be engaged by the tappet 38 and to cooperate therewith in disengaging the latch 32 to release or lire the picker. It the bolt is raised its lower end is withdrawn from the path of the tappet 38, thus rendering the latch disengaging or firing mechanism inactive until the bolt is again returned to its lower position.

The levers 26 and their connected arms 36 are oscillated for each pick yor beat of the lay, the movement in one direction retracting the picker stick which has been released for the previous pick and the iinal movement in the opposite direction releasing the picker stick corresponding to the bolt 40 whichis in active position. Each lever 26 also carries an arm 42 which is connected by a link 44 with a slide 46 for returning the shuttle engaging block 14 to position beyond the end of the shuttle boxes when the lever is rocked to retract the pickerl stick previously released. The levers 26 are oscillated in proper time for each beat of the lay by means of a crank 48 connected by a link 50 with.v thev right hand lever at a point above its pivot and connected with the left hand lever through the links 50, 52, lever 54, and link 56 at a point below its pivot.

f The position of each bolt 40 and therefore the operation of the corresponding picker stick is controlled by an electro-magnet in the form of a solenoid indicated at 58 which is secured to the lay leg 4 and the core or armature 60 of which is connected by a link 62 with the upper end of the bolt. The circuit for the solenoid 58 at the left end of the lay is controlled by circuit closing devices arranged at the right hand end ol the lay and operated to close the circuit by a shuttle within the shuttle boX which is in position at that end of the lay. The circuit closing devices comprise an adjustable contact screw 64 mounted in the upper end of an arm 66, the lower end of which is secured to a rod 68 carried by a bracket 7 0 secured to the lay bed which is constructed of wood and therefore serves to insulate the parts carried by the bracket. Thecontact 64 at the right end of the lay is connected by a circuit wirewith one terminal of the solenoid 58vat the left hand end of the laywhile the contact 64 atthe left hand end of the lay is connected by a circuit'wire with one end of the terminal of the solenoid 58`at the right hand end of the lay. The other terminals of the solenoids are connected with circuits which include theV metalparts of the loom and therefore the spring pressed metallic friction plater' 2 with which each shuttle box is provided and which is forced outward by a shuttle'withinthe box, but is normally held in its inner position in the absence of a shuttle, as indicated in Fig. 8. rlhe contact screw 64 is sok arranged that it registers with the plate 72 ot the shuttle box which is in position at the end of the lay and is soy adjusted that it will be engaged by the plate 7 2 if the plate is held in its outer position by a shuttle, but will be out of contact with the plate if the plate isiin its inner position as it will be inv the absence of a shuttle. rllhe circuit through the solenoid` 58 atthe Aright hand end of the lay will, therefore,'be closed whenever there is Va 'shuttle in the active shuttle boX at the 'leitthand end of the lay and the bolt 60 at the right hand'end will be raised to prevent the release of the right hand picker stick..- The active shuttle box at the righthand end ofthe lay will at` this time be empty and the circuit through the lefthand solenoid willbebrokenl so that the bolt 40 at this end of the lay will bein position 4to render the picker stick releasing devices active so that the picker stick at thisL end of the lay will be released and will be actuated by its spring to throw the 'shuttle across the lay. The converse is true in case there is a shuttle in the active shuttle bon at the right hand endof the lay an d an empty shuttle boX in active positionV at'the lett hand end of the lay. yThe contact devices and solenoids will thus act Ato accurately control and time the lrelease of the picker sticks to throw a shuttle back and forth across the lay or to" .throw a plurality of zshuttles successivelyiirst from one end and then from the other end of they lay. In order that the operator may conveniently interrupt the operation o'fboth picker sticks for any desired number ot' picks, as may become desirable during the operation o'tthe loom, a switch indicated at 74.in Fig. 4 isso arranged in the 'solenoid circuits thatnthe closing ot the switch will completey vthe circuit "through both solenoids and thus cause the solenoids to withdraw both ot the bolts 40 and retain them in retracted position until the switch is again opened. B y closing the switch, therefore, the 4operator may discontinue the operation of both .picker sticks for any desiredv number of picks and then restore the shuttle ycontrol by opening the switch.

IWhile it is/preferredlto. employ the specitic construction and arrangement of parts shown and described in embodying the iny vention in a loom in which, by reason of the 'length' of the lay,v the pickingl mechanisms iio are Widely separated and therefore illadapted for mechanical control from the opposite end of the lay it Will be understood that this construction and arrangement is not essential to the broader features of the invention and may be varied or modified as found desirable or best suited to the construction and mode of operation oi" the loom in Which it is to be embodied.

l/Vhat is claimed is:

l. A loom having, in combination, a lay, picking mechanism at each end ot the lay including a picker stick, electro-magnetic means for controlling` the operation of each picking mechanism by a shuttle at the opposite end of the lay.

2. A loom having, in combination, a lay, picking mechanism at each end of the lay including a picker stick, electro-magnetic means for controlling the operation of each picking mechanism, and shuttle operated circuit controlling means for each picking mechanism located at the opposite end of the lay.

3. A loom having, in combination, a lay, picking mechanism at each end of the lay including a picker stick, electro-magnetic means for rendering each picking mechanism inactive to throw a shuttle, and shuttle operated circuit closing means for each electro-magnetic means at the opposite end of the lay.

4. A loom having, in combination, a lay, a spring actuated picker stick at each end of the lay, cocking and :tiring mechanism for each picker stick operated at each beat of the lay, and electro-magnetic means for controlling the liring o each picker stick from the shuttle boX at the opposite end of the lay.

5. A loom having. in combination, a lay, a spring actuated picker stick at each end of the lay, cooking and :tiring mechanism for each picker stick, operated at each beat of electro-magnet for controlling the operationy of each releasing means, and means for controlling the circuit of each magnet by a shuttle at the opposite end of the lay.

7. A loom having, in combination, a lay, a spring actuated picker stick at each end of the lay, mechanism for retracting the picker sticks operated at each beat of the lay, means for latching each picker stick in retracted position, releasing means for each stick operated at each beat of the lay, an electro-magnet for controlling the operation of each releasing means, means for controlling the circuit of each magnet by a shuttle at the opposite endy o1c the lay, and means under the control of' the operator for temporarily closing the circuits of both magnets.

8. A loom having, in combination, a lay, a spring actuated picker stick at each end of; the lay, cocking and liring mechanism for each picker stick operated at each beat of the lay, electro-magnetic means for controlling the firing ol each picker stick from the shuttle box at the opposite end of the lay, and means under the control ot the operator for causing the electro-magnetic means to interrupt the tiring of the picker sticks.

EZEKIEL J. WXLSGN. 

